By Erica Christoffer\Sun Newspapers
(Created: Wednesday, August 10, 2005 4:36 PM CDT )
"It looks like a school," said Amy Monson as she gazed at the building that holds Paideia Academy, the newest charter school in Apple Valley that opened Aug. 8.
The opening of Paideia is the culmination of a year of work for Monson, a Burnsville resident, and Tona Dove of Apple Valley, parents who said they who wanted to fulfill an educational dream for their children.
Monson, a nurse, and Dove, a lawyer, put their careers on hold to pursue the opening of the charter school.
"We basically told our husbands that we were going to start a charter school," said Dove.
Frustrated with the gaps they saw in their children's educational experience, Dove and Monson researched other options.
They discovered the Core Knowledge Sequence, a sequenced method of teaching in stages. Topics and concepts are continuously built upon in each grade level.
"So there's no gaps or repetition as there is in current district schools," Dove said.
Dove and Monson received sponsorship for Paideia Academy, in the former Apple Valley Theatre at 7200 147th St., from Friends of Ascension, a non-profit secular operation that supports content-rich schools.
The word "Paideia" is Greek meaning "to nurture a child."
Being a charter school, Paideia is public and any student can attend; however, enrollment is limited.
Dove said Paideia is not in competition with School District 196, in which the school is located, but rather offering families another option.
What sets Paideia apart, school officials said, is small class sizes. Each room is limited to 20 students, and language, music and arts are incorporated as core subjects. All children will be exposed to Latin and Spanish.
The school has also entered into a partnership with the MacPhail Center for Music for its music program.
"The other thing that we're really priding ourselves on is that we have incredible parental involvement," Dove said.
